Lets Grow Tulips

8/8/2019 Lets Grow Tulips

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F r o m :

Let’s Grow Tulips!

Edited By Linda Jenkinson © Copyright 2006 Gardening-Guid om es.c

Why Tulips? Why Not!

, tulips are one of the first flowers to take the spring stage. As the last

these bright signs of spring dance in the sunlight. However, you

of g

er bulb, most people think first of the tulip.

w growing season.

hat your gardening style is, tulips lend an elegant touch to

tract tulip gardens, you can achieve a stunning effect bylanting tulip bulbs in clusters. By clustering bulbs of the same color together,

erennial gardens.

Because tulips are usually the first flowers to bloom in thed in borders or around

asy-care flowers, tulipsrish year after year, with only the most basic attention. Children love the

m

look wonderful in both formal

arden designs as well as informal styles. No matter what your personal style is, tulips look beautiful

As the curtain of winter lifts

drifts of snow seep into the soil,

don’t have to wait for spring to grow tulips. Whether it lies in a bed, under a shrub, in the crevicesa rock garden or in a container, a tulip bulb is an underground flower factory just waiting to “sprin

up” from whatever soil it occupies.

Tulip bulbs are easily the most recognizable bulb flower in the world today. When

asked to name a flow

Spring flower bulb gardens are not only beautiful and easy to grow, but tulips andother bulbs symbolize the first signs of spring and the start of a ne

One of the amazing things about tulip gardens is that they are so versatile. No matter

wyour garden whether you prefer to plant your tulips in long

rows of strong colors or you prefer an abstract approach to

If you enjoy absp

you will achieve a unified grouping of color that makes a bold statement.

However, tulip clusters are beautiful in mixed colors as well. How you plantyour tulip garden comes down to personal preference.

Tulips make an excellent addition to p

much needed color to the garden after a long winter. Uselarge shrubs or trees, tulips look absolutely gorgeous.

Tulip gardens are an excellent choice for children, too. Eflou

strong, bold colors of tulips and delight in cutting bouquets of flowers directly frotheir very own garden to give to family and friends.

be beautiful and elegant or wild and carefree. Tulips

g

in any setting.

gardening.

spring, they provide

Tulip gardens can



Selecting Tulip Cultivars

Today there are over 100 species of growing tulips and many hundreds of hybrids, primarily due to

the extensive breeding programs and tulip care that began in late sixteenth century Holland.

Tulips originated in Central Asia where they grew in the wild. The word tulip means turban and

comes from a Turkish word, turbend. Tulips were cultivated in Turkey as early as 1,000 AD.

In August of 1593, Carolus Clusius received a gift of tulip bulbs from his friend, Ogier Ghiselain de

Busbecq, the ambassador of Constantinople. He planted the bulbs and the spring of 1594 gave birthto the first tulips of Holland. Clusius’s planting is still considered the birth of the Netherlands flowerbulb business.

The colorful flowers soon became major trading commodities. Different color strains and mutations

were status symbols and in such high demand in the 1600’s that tulips were often sold by estimatedweight, even before they were lifted from the ground. Trading in tulip futures was dubbed as

“tulpenwindhandel” (tulip wind trade). Soon this speculative trading got out of hand and the Dutch

government introduced trade restrictions to quash it.

The most popular tulip color has always been, and remains to be red. However, yellow closely

follows red as the second most popular color.

Of course, you can find tulips in a variety of color as there are over 3500 t

cultivars. You can purchase traditional tulip bulbs as well as fancy bulbs,which have a feathered, frilly petal. You can find tulips in solid colors as wellas striped petals, or variegated colors.

ulip

Tulips come in tall varieties as well as shorter varieties and bloom in single ordouble blooms. You can purchase tulip bulbs that are early bloomers,

maturing early in the springtime, or you can find tulips that will bloom later.

So you can plan your bulb flowers to consistently bloom all spring, until otherperennials begin blooming and planted annuals fill out your garden, an

important consideration in flower garden design.

With so much variety and selection, there is nodoubt as to why tulip bulbs are such popular flowers.

Coupled with the excellent selection and the ease of care and planting for

tulips, they make an excellent addition to any garden.

When selecting bulbs, a simple rule of thumb is that the bigger the bulb,

the bigger the flower. Choose plump bulbs that are firm and heavy for theirsize. Although the tunic (outer papery skin) need not be intact, avoid

withered bulbs and those that are withered, overly dry, scarred, have tracesof mold, soft spots, or other blemishes. However, more difficult than

selecting bulbs is first choosing from the over 100 varieties of tulips which

are divided into 15 divisions. Careful selection from different divisions canhelp you plan a tulip garden that begins in early spring and dances on

through the end of May!

Tulip Divisions

1. Single Ear ly

Short-stemmed tulips (usually about 8-inches high) that flower in late March and early April.

2. Double Early

A profusion of petals on 12 to 15 inch stems makes an attractive display when these bulbs areforced indoors. Although they usually bloom from early to mid-April, they are more delicate than

some other cultivars and need protection from cold and inclement weather.

3. Triumph



A standard since 1923 when they were named by Dutch breeder, N. Zandbergen, these tulips

take the throne at the end of April as they tower to 18 inches high.

4. Darwin Hybrids

One of the tallest garden tulips (usually over 2-feet tall) these red and yellow beauties areperfect for naturalizing and are those you generally see returning in established gardens May after

May.

5. Single LateOriginally known as Cottage tulips, these hybrids inter-mingled and successfully merged with

Darwin hybrids. Like the Darwins, they grow well over 2-feet tall and bloom in May.

6. Lily-Flowered

Another May-flowering tulip, this group was originally grouped with Cottage tulips but was

reclassified in 1958. On stems that grow from 1 ½ to 2-feet tall, long, shapely flowers have pointed

petals that most closely resemble native Turkish tulips and boast the first scented tulip, theBallerina, in their troupe.

7. Fringed

A short (12 to 18 inches) but showy group of tulips that brightens the May garden with ruffles

that either mirror or add a contrasting color to the rest of the bloom.

8. Viridiflora

May blooms with a flash of green streaked through their petals, this group of tulips varies fromone to two-feet tall.

9. Rembrandt

Once highly prized by gardeners, today these tulips are nearly obsolete. Although streaked withbeautiful breaks and stripes of artistic color, it was discovered that this palette was created by a

virus that could spread to other tulip cultivars. Although some suppliers still offer the Rembrandt,these tulips are no longer commercially grown and advertised types are generally no relation to the

true Rembrandt cultivars.

10. Parrot

A riot of petals that curl in all directions, these blooms look like they could use some preening.However, they aren’t named for their resemblance to feathers, but rather for the bud that resembles

a parrot’s beak. A few of these May-blooming cultivars are scented. They generally grow from 16 to24 inches tall.

11. Double Late (Peony Flow ered)

Although less resistant to poor weather, peony flowered cultivars are another excellent choicefor container tulip growing. From mid to late May, these tall (1 ½ to 2-feet) blooms bear a profusion

of petals in close resemblance to their namesake.

12. Kaufmanniana

If you have difficulty in pronouncing the name of this group, you can also call its cultivars ‘water

lily tulips’. Opening flat under the mid-March sun, the foliage of these flowers is characterized bydeep purple or brown blotches. Shorter than some other cultivars, the Kaufmanniana is only 6 to 12inches high.

13. Fosteriana

Greigii crossed with Kaufmanniana “fostered” this division. From 8 to 18 inches tall, these tulipsadd drama to the April garden with foliage that ranges from grey-green to glossy green.

14. Greigii



Another short (8 to 12 inches) addition to the early spring garden (late March to early April),

striking wavy edged foliage provides a perfect backdrop for an eruption of upright blooms that standamidst a frame of flared-out petals.

15. Species

The last and the least? This group is truly the dwarf (4 to 12 inches) of the tulip family.

However, they’re easy to naturalize and their cheery blooms repeat year after year anytime fromMarch to May, some varieties even seeding themselves freely! They are definite proof that good

things come in small packages!

Purchasing & Planting Tulips

A Tulip Catalogue Is the Best Place to Order Tulip Bulbs.

If you’re looking for a great place to get tulip bulbs, a tulip catalogue might be your best bet. A tulip

catalogue helps you to find the tulips that you really want – and those that will look and grow best inyour area.

While your local nurseries or gardening stores might only carry a few dif tulip varieties, with a tulip catalogue, you should be able to find almost an

color of tulip that you can imagine. From black to white, and almost

everything in between, there are regular solid color tulips, and “bizarre”

that have a mix of several different colors.

A tulip catalogue is also helpful for more than just finding the right tulip bulbsfor you. Some tulip catalogues also offer tips and advice on how to cultivate

the tulips that you order. Also, since there’s generally a small write-up aboutall of the different tulip varieties, you should be able to find out the specific

requirements of each cultivar you find.

A tulip catalogue is also useful if you want to get a better idea of what your

tulips will look like in bloom. While most gardening stores offer small pictures

of single cultivars they sell, a tulip catalogue often provides full color picturesof both single cultivars and tulip garden ideas.

ferenty

tulips

Planting Tulip Bulbs

Tulips have acclimated to the conditions of their native country. They need the warmth of summer

sun to ripen next year’s flower buds and the cold of winter to rest for their lively emergence inspring. Although grown in Holland since the late 16th Century, tulips are native to the mountains of

Turkey where the winters are cold, the spring rains are plentiful, and the rest of the year is well…hot!

Planting tulips is so easy that they are pretty much fool proof if you follow a few simple tips. Growing

tulips is a favorite with gardeners all over the world because of their beauty and simplicity.

The whole purpose of a tulip bulb is to flower. In fact, in the center of each bulb, tiny leaves cradle a

baby bud. The white, onion-like bulb that surrounds the bud stores all the nutrients that the bud

needs to sprout and grow. Once planted, the only real help the tulip needs to grow is a generous

drink of water and some soil to keep it moist.

When the air begins to get cooler, and the leaves start to fall from the trees, most people

immediately think of storing the gardening supplies for the winter and getting ready to bundle up.But wait! Before packing away your gardening equipment, don’t forget to pick up some tulip bulbs

to plant in your garden.

Purchase your tulip bulbs close to the time that you are ready to plant them. Fall is the perfect time

for planting tulip bulbs, ideally six weeks before the first frost. Once evening temperatures dip to

50°F, it’s time to put them in the ground. In general, unplanted bulbs are difficult to keep overwinter.



When you plant tulips be sure to choose a sunny location. However, since there are no leaves on the

trees when the flowers bloom in the early spring so tree shade is usually not a major issue.

Fall is also the best time to nourish your tulips. Tulips prefer a bed of sandy, slightly alkaline soilwith at least four hours of sunlight per day, but not direct sun. The addition of a little peat moss

loosens compacted garden soil and provides the drainage tulips need. Before you begin planting

bulbs, work nutrient rich compost through your soil. Although bulbs will grow in nearly any type of soil, the richer your soil is, the bigger your bulb lift will be next summer.

Plant bulbs two to three times the height of the bulb. For clustered displays, plant them closelytogether, but not touching. The root side of a bulb is the more rounded side; the pointed side is the

part that will open and sprout foliage and flower. The most important thing to know about planting

tulips is to plant them with the pointy side up. If you plant the tulips upside down, they may stillbloom. However, this will place unnecessary stress on the bulbs.

Container Grown Tulips

Choose your container size according to the height of your cultivar and the density of your bulb

planting. Plant bulbs in a container the same as you would garden-grown tulips, making sure there is

at least ½ inch of soil below the planting.

Use fresh soil-based potting mixtures only. Peat based mixtures may burn the roots of your bulbs

and soilless mixtures dry too quickly.

Plant tulips for indoor forcing in September and October. Place your planted

pots in a cool garden spot (outdoors) and cover them with an inch of clean sWhen top growth is about ½ -inch to 1-inch, transfer them indoors to a

darkened area with a maximum temperature of 60F. Let the stems lengthenfor about three weeks and return them to a lighted area with a slightly higher

temperature.

oil.

When putting containers outdoors, protect them from severe frosts,

particularly when combined with penetrating winds. Store your tulip pots in acool area like your garage or wrap them with sacking or straw and cover them

with plastic bags until the weather is more tulip-friendly.

It is essential to keep tulip containers sufficiently watered. Unlike garden

grown plants, those in containers cannot seek for water deeper within theirenvironment. Dry pots result in stunted and shriveled flower heads.

Tulip Care

The best part of growing tulips is watching them dance in the first breaths of spring. The second best

part of growing tulips is tulip care. The reason is because once established, a tulip bed needs very

little care at all!

Tulip bulbs are an excellent nutrient storage system that need little care besides water.

When tulips finish flowering, either snip the stem or deadhead the bloom. However, let the leaves

die naturally. This is the time the bulb absorbs the nutrients it needs for next year’s growth. When

the foliage becomes discolored, remove it to prevent “tulip fire”, which can poison your soil. This is

also a good time to lift any tulip bulbs that you want to remove from your garden.

Lifting bulbs isn’t any more complex than digging them out of the ground or dumping them out of the pot. Usually each bloom produces one good-sized bulb and two smaller offshoots that can be

discarded. Allow lifted bulbs to dry naturally. Then store them somewhere cool in an airy container(net produce bags and burlap bags work well) to provide good circulation until next planting time.



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Lets Grow Tulips